Garment-fitter.



No. 633,654. Patented Sept. 26, I899. J. T. MELICK.

GARMENT FITTER. (Application filed Mar. 3, 159 9..

2 Shaets-$heet I.

'(No Model.)

No. 633,654. Patented Sept. 26; I899. J. T. MELICK. v

GARMENT FITTEB.

[Application filed Mar. 3, 1899. (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.,

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NlTED STATES -FFICE.

PATENT GARMENT-FITTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 633,654, datedSeptember 26, 1899.

Application filed Marchs, 1899. Serial No. 707,603. on model.)

To rtZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES T. MELICK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rahway, in the county of Union and State of New Jer sey,have invented a new and useful Garment Measuring and Drafting Device, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a measuring and drafting apparatus for use inlaying off garments-such as coats, vests, waists, &c.and the object inview is to provide a simple and readily-adjustable combination andarrangement of parts adapted to snugly fit the form and comprising aplurality of longitudinal and transverse tapes which are adapted to besecured at their points of intersection at, the desired adjustments,said tapes being of any suitable material, but preferably of thin sheetmetal, such as steel, fitted with a sheet or covering of textilematerial.

A further object of the invention is to provide a measuring device ofthe class named wherein the parts are so related as to adapt them to bearranged successively in a fiat position upon pattern-paper or fabric,whereby the outlines of the measure may be utilized in cutting out theparts of a garment.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front View of a measuring deviceembodying my invention applied as in the operation of measuring for acoat. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of themeasure in a flattened position, as adapted to be applied topattern-paper or material preparatory to laying out the garment. Fig. 4is a detail sectional view of one of the center-back clasps or slides.Fig. 5 is a detail View in perspective of one ofthe hook-carrying claspsor slides.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawlngs.

The combined measure and pattern embodying my invention is provided witha vertical or longitudinal hack tape or member 1, intersected at itsupper extremity by a backncck tape 2 and at intervals below the necktapeby a back-width tape 3, a bust-tape 4, a waist-line tape 5, and ahip-tape 6, a clasp or slide 7 being attached to each of said tapes 3,4, 5, and 6 at the center of its length and being mounted for verticalor longitudinal adjustment upon the center-hack tape 1, said claspspreferably consisting of loops formed of sheet-metal blanks folded tooverlap their extremities, with said extremities secured together and tothe transverse tapes by means of rivets S. Said clasps are slotted atopposite sides to receive the transverse tapes. Said back-neck tape isused in connection with front-neck tapes 9, which combine therewith toform a complete neck-tape, and fixed to the rear extremities of the front-neck tapes are the upper inner ends of oblique shouldertapes 10, whileto the portions of the backneck tape upon opposite sides of the plane ofthe center-back tape are adjustably attached other shouldertapes ll,clasps or Slides 7 being secural to the inner extremities of saidshoulder tapes 11 and being mounted to slide upon the arms of thebackneck tape. The clasps or slides 7 are preferably provided withset-screws 12, by which they may be secured at the desired adj ustmentupon the back-neck tape. Thus it will be seen that at each side of thepattern are arranged two shoulder-tapes, which when the pattern isapplied to the form of the person to be measured occupy paralleladjacent positions, and the rear ends of the front-neck sections ortapes 9 are connected with the back-neck tape by means of hooks 13,carried by said clasps or slides 7 and engaged with loops let at theextremities of the shouldertapes l0.

' Adjustably mounted upon the front-neck tapes 9 and upon the portionsof the bust, waist, and hip tapes upon opposite sides of the center-backtape are center-front tapes 15. The clasps or slides 7 are employed toconnect the upper ends of these center-front tapes with the front-necktapes 9, one of them having a hook 13 to en age with the centerfronttape of the other side when the measure is applied, said slides 7 beingmounted for adjustment upon the front-neck tapes, and the means employedfor connecting the center-front tapes with the members 4:, 5, and (iconsist of clasps or slides 7 which are mounted for adjustment upon bothof the intersecting members, and one of each pair of the clasps 7 isprovided with a hook 13 for engagement with the other center-front tape.

Adjustably mounted at their upper ends upon the shoulder-tapes 10(whichI will term the side-shoulder tapes for the reason that they are carriedby the side or front members of the other in contradistinction to thebackshoulder tapes 11, which are carried by the back member of theother) are side-front tapes 16, which extend downward and intersect thebust-tape 4, a clasp or slide 7 being attached to the upper end of eachof the sidefront tapes and being mounted for adjustment upon saidsideshoulder tape 10, and a clasp or slide 7 being employed to connectan intermediate portion of each side-front tape with the bust-tape toallow adjustment of both the intersecting tapes it and 16 with relationto the slide and to each other. Also extending downward from each of thesideshoulder tapes 10 is a side-tape 17, which is adjustably mounted atits upper end upon said shoulder-tape by means of a clasp 7 and is adjustably connected with each of the bust, waist, and hip tapes by meansof clasps or slides 7". Similarly attached to each of the back-shouldertapes 11 and intersecting each of the back-width, bust, waist, and hiptapes is a side-back tape 18, a clasp or slide 7 being employed toconnect the upper end of the side-back tape with the back-shoulder tape,and slides 7 being employed at the intersections of said side-back tapewith the transverse tapes 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Extending downward from the bust-tape between each side-tape 17 and theside-back tape 18 and intersecting the waist and hip tapes 5 and 6 is anunder-arm tape 19, aclasp or slide 7 being employed to adjustablyconnect the upper end of each under-arm tape with the bust-tape to allowadjustment of the upper end of said under-arm tape transversely withrelation to the bust-tape, and clasps or slides 7 being employed at thepoints of intersection of the under-arm tape with the waist and hiptapes. The clasp or slide '7 at the upper end of each under-arm tapeforms the means of attachment of a scye or armhole tape 20, said tape 20being secured at an intermediate point in said clasp or slide '7 andbeing adjustably connected, respectively, with the side-front tape, thesideshoulder tape, the back-width tape, and the back-shoulder tape bymeans of double slides 7 or slides which allow of the adjustment ofeither or both of the connected tapes or members of the measure.

Each of the tapes or members thus described is provided with graduationsin inches or other unit of linear measurement, the initial points of thegraduations or scales carried by the transverse members 2 to 6,inclusive, being arranged in the line of the center-back tape 1, theinitial point of the longitudinal or vertical tapes being arranged attheir upper ends and the initial points of the graduations or scalesupon the scye or armhole tapes being at their points of intersectionwith the under-arm tape. Also the front-neck tapes are graduated,withtheir initial points at the intersect-ions of said tapes with the sideshoulder tapes.

To apply the measure to the form of aperson to be measured, the hooks ofthe clasps or loops 7 at the intersections of the hackshoulder tapeswith the back-neck tape are engaged with the above-mentioned loops 1% atthe rear ends of the front-neck tapes, and similar hooks on the claspsor loops at the upper end of the side-back tapes are engaged with theclasps or loops at the upper ends of the side-tapes 1'7, the severalclasps or loops being adjusted upon the members to which they are fittedto cause the several members of the neck-tape to properly fit the neckof the person and the arms or extremities of the scye or armhole tapebeing correspondingly adjusted through the clasps or loops upon theshoulder-tapes to cause a snug fitting thereof. Also the center-fronttapes are secured in operative relation by engaging the hooks on theclasps or loops of one tape 15 with the other tape 15, after whichthetransverse and longitudinal tapes may be adjusted through the severalclasps or tapes to cause the other to conform, as may be desired or withthe necessary snugness,t0 the figure of the wearer. The graduations uponthe several tapesiudieating the different measurements of the body ofthe wearer will be indicated by the positions of the clasps or loops,which constitute indicating devices,and the length of the skirt,valance, or tails of the garment will be indicated by the lower portionsof the vertical or longitudinal tapes below the point of intersection ofthe hip-tape 6 therewith. Having properly adjusted the various membersof the measure, the device may be removed by unhooking the difierentclasps at the front, neck, and shoulder, whereupon the measure may beextended in a substantially flat condition upon a pattern-paper or thefabric from which the garment is to be cut, and the lines of thedifferent port-ions of the garment will be indicated by the tapes withsufficient accuracy, and the latter may be used as cutting-lines,suitable allowance of course being made for seams, laps, the. Forinstance, as shown in dotted lines A in Fig. 3, the members of acutaway-coat may be laid off, while, as shown in dotted lines B, thecorresponding members of a sack-coat may be laid off practically fromthe same measurements, with the only essentially dilfereuce consistingin the length of the tail or skirt portion, and, as shown in dottedlines tion of the neck, however, being cut lower and less allowancebeing made for lap, and, as at c, a dart may be formed to insure thesnug fitting of the vest, particularly at the waist-line.

3, a vest may also be laid oif from the same measurements, the frontpor- It will be seen from the foregoing descrip tion that the measureembodying my invention, which is adapted to entirely embrace the form ofthe person to be measured, is so constructed as to have its membersdetachable at the neck and shoulder, whereby the measure when removedfrom the form maybe arranged in a flat condition to indicate the linesupon which the pattern or parts of the garment are to be out, it beingleft, of course, to the knowledge of the tailor to make suitableallowances for the seams and laps of the particular garment which is tobe cut from those measurements, as in the ordinary practice.Furthermore, it Will be seen that by employing a measure which extendsentirely around the body of the person to be measured any irregularityor deformity of the person may be suited, whereby it is not necessaryfirst to lay out both sides of a pattern from a measurement of one sideand then make allowance for irregularities or deformities by fittingafter the parts of the garment have been laid out and cut. It will beunderstood, furthermore, that in practice various changes in the form,proportion, size, and the minor details of construction Within the scopeof the appended claims may be resorted to without departing from thespirit or sacrificing an y of the advantages of the invention.

Having described my invention, What I claim is 1. A measuring device fortaking the dimensions of a figure, the same having a single center-backtape, transverse tapes provided at their centers with fixed slidesmounted upon the center-back tape for sliding adjust ment thereon, apair of center-front tapes adapted to be contiguouslyarranged and havingthe opposite terminals of the said transverse tapes individually andadjustably connected thereto, a single rear-neck tape attached to thecenter-back tape, independent neck-tapes adjustably attached to thecenterfront tapes, pairs of shoulder-tapes having the terminals of therear-neck tape attached to a portion thereof and the terminals of thefront-neck tapes adjustably connected to the remaining shoulder-tapes,and means for operatively joining the transverse tapes andshoulder-tapes.

2. A measuring device for taking the dimensions of a figure, the samehaving a center-back tape, transverse tapes provided at their centersWith fixed slides mounted upon the center-back tape for slidingadjustment thereon, center-front tapes adjustably con nected to saidtransverse tapes, the said center-front tapes being independent andadapt ed for contiguous arrangement in parallel relation and having theopposite terminals of the transverse tapes individually and ad justablyengaging the same, a back-neck tape permanently secured at its centralportion to the upper end of the center back tape, frontneck tapes havingtheir front ends ad j ustably connected to the upper portions of thecenterfront tapes, pairs of shoulder-tapes, having to one of each pairthe terminals of the backnecl: tape adjustably fastened, and theremaining one of each pair having the rear terminals of the front-necktapes adjustably secured thereto, side-back body-tapes having theirupper ends attached to one of each pair of the shoulder-tapes andconnected regularly to the transverse tapes, short side-frontbodytapesattached to the remaining one of each pair of shoulder-tapes and also toan adjacent transverse tape,and additional tapes attached to some ofthose set forth, to provide means for taking a complete measurement.

3. A measuring device for taking the di mensions of a figure, the samehaving a single center-back tape adapted to be applied longitudinally ofthe figure, transverse tapes provided at their centers with fixed slidesmounted upon the center-back tape for sliding adjustment thereon,center-front tapes adj ustably connected with said transverse tapes andintended for contiguous arrangement in parallel relation, intermediatelongitudinal tapes at the front and back, inter= secting the saidtransverse tapes, pairs of shoulder-tapes independently attached to thefront and rear longitudinal tapes, a single back-neck tape attached atits center to the upper portion of the center-back tape and at its frontend ad justably connected to one of each pair of shoulder-tapes onopposite sides, a pair of front-neck tapes having their front terminalsadjustably connected to the upper ends of the said center-front tapesand their rear ends movably attached to the remaining ones of each pairof shoulder-tapes, and scye or armhole tapes adjustably mounted atintermediate points below one of the transverse tapes and at theirextremities respectively upon the front and back shoulder tape of eachpair on opposite sides.

4. In a measuring device for taking the dimensions of a figure, thecombination with intersecting adjustahly connected tapes, including abust-tape, of scye or armhole tapes provided at an intermediate pointwith a slide mounted upon the bust-tape, and opposite pairs ofshoulder-tapes adapted to have the opposite extremities of the scye orarmhole tapes adj ustably attached thereto, the front end of each scyeor armhole tape being connected to the front-shoulder tape of each pairand the rear end of the scye or armhole tape in each instance beingsecurable to the rearshoulder tapes on each side.

5. In a measure for taking the dimensions of a figure, the combinationwith intersecting tapes, of a clasp or slide arranged at theintersection of tapes and having an opening therethrough for themovement of the tapes and also in the sides in a plane at right anwardlyfrom one side of the clasp, and a setmy own I have hereto aifixed mysignature in screw threaded in a continuous side of the the presence oftwo witnesses.

loop for terminal contact with one of the tapes to secure the latter ata desired relative ad- 1 justment, the hook also serving to connect IJAMES 5 a tape having the same direction as that ex- Vitnesses:

CHARLES E. HOLMES,

tending longitudinally through the clasp.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as CHARLES R. MELICK.

